New York governor signs medical marijuana bill into law

ALBANY, N.Y. (Reuters) - Governor Andrew Cuomo said on
Monday he had signed legislation making New York the 23rd state
to allow medical marijuana, calling his approach, which forbids
smoking of the drug and includes strict limits, the "smartest"
any state had taken so far.

Under the guidelines, access to the drug will be limited to
patients with very serious and terminal illnesses, the drug can
only be administered through vaporizing, oils and edibles, and
Cuomo reserves the right to disband the program at any time.

"This new law takes an important step toward bringing relief
to patients living with extraordinary pain and illness," Cuomo
told a news conference at the New York Academy of Medicine,
flanked by lawmakers and 9-year-old Amanda Houser, who suffers
from seizures.

The legislation "gets us the best that medical marijuana has
to offer in the most protected, controlled way possible," the
Democratic governor said. "I really believe that this is the
smartest approach that any state has taken thus far."

Other states have approved far more permissive laws.
Washington state and Colorado decriminalized recreational use of
marijuana in 2012. In other states, patients can grow their own
pot, obtain it from a dispensary or both. Medical marijuana is
also legal in the District of Columbia.

The signing of the New York law came after years of advocacy
by proponents of medical marijuana. While applauding passage of
the new law, advocates said it was not as comprehensive as
patients had hoped and the timeline was too slow.

"I'm heartened that the governor understands the medicinal
benefits of medical cannabis. My son and so many others need
this medicine right away," said Missy Miller, whose son Oliver
suffered a brain stem injury in utero and now as a teenager has
hundreds of seizures a day.

"The eighteen month timeline for implementation suggested in
the bill is simply too long for Oliver," Miller said in a
statement issued by the Drug Policy Alliance.

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said the state's goal
would be to get the program up and running "swiftly, safely and
efficiently."

The assembly has been approving versions of the bills for
the better part of two decades. The current bill passed both
houses of the Legislature on June 20.